Downrigger fuse size

[beckoning]

What size fuses for my 2 BigJon electric and 2 old Walker electric downriggers? I no longer have the instruction manuals. Both companies are out of business. Elsewhere, I read 20-30amp. That seems very large. OPINIONS from your experience, please.

 

[mike_i]

Can you determine the gauge of the wire?

 

[Horigan]

Downriggers pull a lot of load. My Scotty's have 10AWG wire, but I run 40A fuses to prevent the periodic fuse blow with a heavy pot. My fuses are in the engine bay and hard to get to quickly, especially when the spot prawns are swimming out of your stationary pot while you change the fuse.

 

[beckoning]

Mike, the original wires are 14-16 gauge, maybe 12 at best. My weights are 9-10lb, but I have pulled up a ton of weeds, so that may be in the 20lb range, but on rare occasion.

Horigan's reply is helpful. 20-30amp seemed over the top, but if others use 20+, I will too. I just don't want to put through more juice to the rigger than it's designed for.

 

[Ifishmuskie2]

Big Jon uses different sizes breakers for the different models. The smaller motors come with an 8amp.
I had one that kept popping the breaker. I put a new 10amp in it and now it doesn’t pop.
I don’t use fuses on big Jon Downriggers.

 

[mike_i]

I would confirm the wire size then look at a ampacity chart to get the max current capacity for the cable/length then fuse accordingly. The fuse is to prevent the wire from melting.

 

[dingbat]

I just don't want to put through more juice to the rigger than it's designed for.

You're only supplying the potential for X amps. The machine determines the actual demand.

As noted above, you fuse the wiring, not the device

 

[Horigan]

Downriggers pull a lot of load. My Scotty's have 10AWG wire, but I run 40A fuses to prevent the periodic fuse blow with a heavy pot. My fuses are in the engine bay and hard to get to quickly, especially when the spot prawns are swimming out of your stationary pot while you change the fuse.

I should have mentioned the high current applications are with a pot puller, not a downrigger. Sorry for that.

 

[Mc Tool]

I would confirm the wire size then look at a ampacity chart to get the max current capacity for the cable/length then fuse accordingly. The fuse is to prevent the wire from melting.

Thats a weird way of looking at it . If the spec's are no longer available you should measure the current draw of the hauler while its working normally lifting the downrigger weight and rate the fuse 125% of that . If the wire is melting during normal use you need bigger wire ...not a smaller fuse rating .

 

[dingbat]

If the spec's are no longer available you should measure the current draw of the hauler while its working normally lifting the downrigger weight and rate the fuse 125% of that .

The worst case scenario in a circuit is a dead short.
Reason why best engineering practice dictates fusing the wire, not the load

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[mike_i]

I agree with you but most people don't have an amp meter especially one capable of measuring over 10amps like with a DMV.

Thats a weird way of looking at it . If the spec's are no longer available you should measure the current draw of the hauler while its working normally lifting the downrigger weight and rate the fuse 125% of that . If the wire is melting during normal use you need bigger wire ...not a smaller fuse rating .

 

[rolmops]

The big Jon downriggers usually have 15 amp fuses for one rigger per cable . Specially when the weights get to be 12 pounds or more. Personally I always use one individual fuse per rigger, just so that one bad one does not stop the other one as well. Using a 20 amp fuse is asking for trouble, because that amount of juice running through the rigger motor may cause damage where fuses are supposed to protect it. Also, I always use fuses that have a push button reset mostly, because one time one of my riggers somehow managed to catch a winter coat 90 feet down and the sheer weight made the rigger work so hard that it popped the fuse although the rigger was fine.
These days I only use Penn electric riggers because even at 30 years old they are a class above all the others.
One time I thought that I got stuck on the bottom ,but along with the rigger I brought up a very nice rod and reel with about 300 feet of copper and a very exhausted ,very big chinook salmon at the end of it. I released it.

 

[rolmops]

Here is a manual.
file:///C:/Users/chari/Downloads/OwnersManualWeb(1).pdf